My Bad

7 years ago

Gov. Sorry for Confederate Praise

Steve Helber / AP Photo

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell relented to a firestorm of criticism Wednesday that he should not have excluded slavery from an announcement he made celebrating the state's Confederate history. On Tuesday, McDonnell proclaimed April Confederate History Month in Virginia without any mention to the role that slavery played in the Civil War or his state's history. "The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell said. In recent years, McDonnell's Democratic predecessors declined to make a proclamation at all.